Distributing bucket for adjustable angle booms



R. F. LINDOW Oct. 20, 1953 DISTRIBUTING BUCKET FOR ADJUSTABLE ANGLE BOOMS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 20, 1948 RUDOLPH F. LINDOW INVENTOR. y @214. M

ATTORNEY Oct. 20, 1953 R. F. LINDOW 2,656,056

DISTRIBUTING BUCKET FOR ADJUSTABLE ANGLE BOOMS Filed Dec. 20, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 20, 1953 UNITED sj'rAT-Efs PATENT DISTRIBUTING,BUCKET FOR ADJUSTABLE I ANGLE BOOMS Rudolph F. Lindow, Wauwatosa,. Wis., assignor; to ,Chain BeltGompany, Milwaukee, Wis a core, poration of Wisconsin.

ApplicationDec ember 20, 194 Serial-No; 66,286

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a bucket adapted-for mounting on and traverse of an overhanging boom, the outer end of which is adjustable in height to enable discharge of the bucket contents at various elevations. The invention finds particular utility in the placement of concrete wherein one end ofthe boom is pivotally mounted on the frame of the concrete mixer, the bucket being arranged, adjacent the mixer to receive concrete from the mixer and to transport it along the boom to the point of use, where, upon the opening of; the bucket door, its contents maybe discharged.

In the application of my co-worker, Raymond M. G; Schiro, Serial No. 697,411, filed September 17, 194.6, for an. invention entitled Material Distributing Apparatus/f now Patent 2,457,604, thereis disclosed a highly useful invention pro viding means for. opening; and closing a bucket door, of. the character referred to above during travel of. the bucket along the boom or while the bucket is at rest inany position on the boom.

The bucket shown in the aforesaid Schiro application, is capable of pivoting about an axis parallelv to the axis of the boomthereby on abling the bucket to hang in an approximately level position regardlessof canting ofv the boom, such as, may be caused by travel of theconcrete mixer over ground that slopes sidewise to the direction of travel. The axis of the boom shown in said application is intended to be maintained in a substantially horizontal position at all times, and hence in respect to the directionv of travel of the bucket on the boom, the bucket remains fixed so that the top of the bucket is at all times substantially horizontal, orinother words, parallel to the boom.

.There are many instances where it is desirable to elevate, the outer end of the boom, as in the placement of concrete in the second floors or buildings, and in order that the bucket may operate to its full capacity, its position with respect to the boom must be adjustable in order that the top of the bucket may be maintained approximately horizontal regardless of the angle. of inclination of the boom.

The present invention provides novel mechanism for mounting such a bucket on an adjustable boom whereby bucket door control apparatus of the type shown in the aforesaid Schiro application may. be utilized tooperate the door during its traverse along the inclined boom. Essentially, the invention is accomplished by a pivotal mounting of the bucket about an axis transverse to the boom a d y training of the door actuating cables over pulleys rotatable about this same axis before connecting themto the door actuating mechanism. Asa result, adjustment of the bucket, as described, longi; tudinally of the boom may be accomplished Without changing the effective lengths of: the cables. 7

A further object or: the invention. is to: pro vide a bucket which is mounted in such a way that it may hang in level position. regardless- 6f angle of the boom and/or the canting of the boom on: itsown axis, and furthermore to" pro= videdooi actuating mechanismrocsuch a bucket.

one embodiment orthe invention is illustrated in th accom anying dr awifigs wherein-5 N Fig; 1 is a side elevation partly in section; ofa boom and: bucketwith the boomsupport d on-tneframeora concrete mixer; I I I Fig. 2 is; an end view-or the bueketsnown in Fig.- 1, taken on approx' iiiia'tely the line through the boom;

Fig. 3 is: an: enlarged section takenon-the 1ine-3--3 ofFig.-1; and I Fig. 4: is an enlarged sect on taken on the line 4 4 ofFig i 1. I I I In the drawings, the; booiii general-1y oesrg= nated H: is or the type comprising a pair of laterally spaced,- outwardly facing c annel iroris l2, the lower flanges of whichprovide a track way for the wheeled earn-age 3- wh-ili supp ts the bucket M. The end of the boomer the right'of' Fig.- 1, is pivotally supported ty a shaft [5' journalled in the boom pivot I 6;, the latter being mounted the frame :1 oftl'ie concret mixer. When the; bucket is moved to the pfvoted end of the boom; it is arranged to receive concrete discharged from the concrete mixer, andafter it is filled with concrete, it s move outwardly along" the boom until the bucket is disposed above the place wherethe concrete is to be distributed. 7 I

For elevating the boom, there is" rowned adjacent its outerend a shaft I 8 carrying a multiple sheave a over which a; cable 20 4's trained; thecable 20 beiiigshortened 61 ranginened by winding or unwin ing itsen'd's on a winding drum also mounted on the mixer but not shown n the drawings. Such for: adjusting" the air-e18 of inclinatidriof; the boom is Well known in the art and need not be described in detail.

Ext nding between the boom channels; l2 and mounted on the base" it of thebucket carriage is the"- bucket slilp'pbrtifig mechanism which con sists of the spaced bearing brackets 22', the pivot 3 shaft 23 journalled therein and the bucket straps 2 which are carried by the shaft 23. The construction described enables the pivoting of the straps 24 about an axis transverse to the boom whereby the bucket may be maintained in a horizontal position irrespective of the angle of inclination of the boom.

Pivoting of the bucket, parallel to the axis of the boom, is accommodated by the provision of the spaced bars 25 secured to the lower ends of the straps 2 Between the bars are upstanding members 26 mounted on the upper portion. of the bucket it, the overlapping of the member 26 and the bars 25 enabling their securement together by the longitudinal pivot pin 21. This latter construction enables the bucket to be maintained in a horizontal position despite canting of the boom about its own axis.

For controlling movement of the bucket door 23, links 29 are secured on each side of the bucket to corresponding edges of the door. The linkage if) is actuated by the levers 3D and the bell crank 38 which is pivoted as at 32 at the forward end of the bucket.

The bell crank L l may be actuated in either direction by cables secured to its upstanding arm 33, the cable 34, which causes closing of the door when the cable is moved to the right, as shown in Fig. 1, being trained under a pulley 35 mounted on a bracket 36 which is welded or'otherwise secured to the bars 25 of the intermediate bucket support. After passing under the pulley 35, the cable 3 travels over a pulley 3? mounted on the shaft 23 which serves as a pivot for the intermediate bucket support as previously described.

As illustrated in Fig. 3, the pulley 35 is mounted on an axis inclined slightly to the horizontal in order that the center of the pulley may be dismovement of the bucket. For this purpose, the cable 34 extends inward to and partly around a sheave 46 adjacent the inward end of the boom, from whence a run 34a extends outwardly to and around a sheave 41 adjacent the outer end of the boom.- From here; a run 34b extends inwardly to and is secured to the bucket carriage by the anchor 48.

The cable 38 extends outwardly to and around a sheave 49 at the forward end of the boom, from which sheave a run 38a extends inwardly to and partly around an idler sheave 50. From this idler, the cable 38 extends downwardly to and I partly about the second of the pulleys 44, thence upwardly through the pivot IE to the winding drum about which it is wound in the opposite direction to that of the in-pull cable 42.

'The sheaves 49 and 46 are each longitudinally movable of the boom H, such movement being effected through links 50 and the rock arms 5i carried by the rock shafts 52 and 52a. Each rock shaft carries an arm 53 (only one of which is visible in Fig. 1) which arms are connected by a rod 54. The aforesaid link mechanism is actuated by the piston rod 55 of a double acting ram 56 mounted on the boom, the piston 55 being connected to an arm 5'! keyed or otherwise secured to the shaft 52a.

Movement of the piston rod 55 to the right or left causes shifting to the right or left of the two sheaves t6 and 49, or in other words, shifting of the cable portions 34 and 38 which are secured to the arm 33, with the result that the bucket 1 door can be opened or closed to any desired. extentv posed above the center of the shaft H, with its lower end in line with the lever arm 33, and the cable portion 35, which is parallel to said shaft, and only a short distance above it, thereby substantially unaffected by pivoting of the bucket about the shaft 27. There is sufficient distance between the pulleys 39 and ll so that the pulley 39, which is in line with the arm 33, may be offset slightly from the pulley 4| without risk of cable misalignment.

For opening the bucket door, the forward end of the arm 33 is secured to a cable 38 which is trained over a pulley 39 mounted between spaced brackets til extending forwardly of the bucket, the cable 38, after travelling over the pulley 39,

regardless of the position of the bucket on the boom, and regardless of whether the bucket is travelling or is stationary.

It will be apparent that the bucket door may be controlled by mechanism other than that described, the illustrated apparatus being but a preferred embodiment of control means that may be utilized with the present invention.

The arrangement of the pivot 23 is such, with respect to the center of gravity of the bucket,

progressing around the pulley 41, which is likewise mounted on the shaft 23.

An aperture is provided in the bottom portion 2! of the bucket carriage 13 to enable the cables 3% and 38, as well as the straps 24, to pass therethrough, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1.

The mechanism for opening and closing the bucket door and for causing traverse of the bucket on the boom are described in detail in the aforesaid Schiro application. According to said application, inward travel of the bucket, i. e., from left to right as shown in Fig. l, is caused by the cable 32 attached to the bucket carriage by the anchor 43. Cable 52 extends around one of a pair of pulleys 44 journalled in the shaft l5, from whence it passes through the vertical boom pivot it to a power driven winding drum Knot shown)-mounted on the frame of the mixer.

Cables 34 and 38, which, as previously described, are secured to the arm 33 of the bell crank lever 35 which operates the bucket door, are part of the cable system causing outward that when the boom I2 is horizontal, the top of the bucket assumes an approximately horizontal position. The bucket is stabilized in this position by the hydraulic cylinder 66, one end of which is secured to the bottom 2! of the bucket car:- riage while the other end is connected to the bucket it by means of a ball 6! linked to the cylinder, the ball being retained in a socket 62 secured to the bucket cross member 53. (See Fig. 4.) The utilization of such a cylinder for stabilizing a bucket is disclosed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 666,659, filed May 2, 1946, entitled Carriage and Bucket for an Inclinable Boom, now Patent 2,593,322, and reference may be had to said application for a full disclosure of the details thereof. It should suffice to say that the cylinder may be locked to hold the bucket in any desired position by closing the valve that affords communication between the fluid on each side of the piston cylinder, or may be released by opening such valve so that when the angle of the boom is adjusted, the bucket may assume a horizontal position by pivoting about the pin 23, after which the cylinder may be locked again to maintain it in that position.

By arranging the socket 62 so that it is in line with an extension of the axis of the shaft 2'1 (as illustrated-in Figs. 1 and 4) and by utilizing a ball and socket connection as described between the bucket l4 and the lower end of the stabilizer 60, the bucket may pivot about the shaft 21, as

previously described, without imposing strains on the stabilizing cylinder. Normally no restraint is imposed on the movement of the bucket relative to the pivot provided by the shaft 21.

The invention having been described, what is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for distributing materials comprising a boom, a carriage arranged to travel back and forth on said boom, a material-holding receptacle pivotally mounted by said carriage about an axis transverse to the boom, stabilizing means holding the receptacle in a predetermined angular position with respect to said axis, said receptacle having a discharge door, door actuating mechanism including a movableactuating cable and guide means carried by the receptacle, engageable with the cable to provide a running loop thereof connected with said door, additional guide means mounted on the carriage arranged concentric with said transverse pivot axis and engageable with the extremities of the loop portion of said cable, and means for moving the cable to produce opening and closing of the discharge door, the entire arrangement being such that the boom may be elevated and the angle the receptacle makes therewith adjusted without requiring adjustment of the receptacle door actuating means.

2. Apparatus for distributing materials comprising a boom, a carriage arranged to travel back and forth on said boom, said carriage having a transverse pivot shaft, a material holding receptacle pivotally mounted by said shaft, stabilizing means holding the receptacle in a predetermined angular position, said receptacle havin a discharge door, door actuating mechanism, a pair of pulleys rotatable about the axis of said carriage shaft, cable portions trained over said pulleys and secured to said door actuating mechanism, for opening and closing the same, and a pulley mounted on said receptacle on the opposite side of said door actuating mechanism from the pair of pulleys first described, one of said cable portions being trained over said last mentioned pulley prior to its securement to the door operating mechanism.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 including a fourth pulley in fixed relation to the pivot shaft for maintaining the two cable portions in line adjacent their securement to the door operating mechanism.

4. Apparatus for distributing concrete and other materials comprising a boom, a carriage mounted for travel along said boom, said carriage having a transverse pivot shaft, a materialholding receptacle pivotally mounted by said shaft, stabilizing means holding the receptacle in a predetermined angular position, said receptacle having a discharge door, door-actuating mechanism including a movable-actuating cable and spaced pulleys mounted on the receptacle engageable with the cable to provide a running loop thereof, connection between a portion of said loop and the receptacle door, pulleys mounted by said shaft engageable with the extremities of the loop portion of the cable, and means for moving the cable to produce opening and closing of the receptacle door, operable irrespective of the angular position of the receptacle to the boom.

5. Apparatus for distributing materials comprising a boom, a carriage arranged to travel back and forth on said boom, a supporting member pivotally mounted by said carriage about an axis transverse to the boom, a material-holding receptacle pivotally mounted by said supporting member about an axis parallel to the boom, stabilizing means holding the supporting member in a predetermined angular position with respect to the boom, said receptacle having a discharge door, door-actuating mechanism including a movable-actuating cable and guide means carried by the receptacle, engageable with the cable to provide a running loop thereof connected with said door, further guide means concentric with said transverse axis and engageable with the extremities of the loop portion of said cable, and means for moving the cable to produce opening and closing of the door operable irrespective of the angle the receptacle makes with the support or the angle the support makes with respect to the boom.

6. Apparatus for distributing materials comprising a boom, a carriage arranged to travel back and forth on said boom, said carriage having a pivot transverse to the boom, a supporting member pivotally mounted thereby and having a pivot parallel to said boom, a material holding receptacle pivotally mounted on said supporting member, and stabilizing means connected to said carriage and having a universal connection with said receptacle in line with the pivot transverse to the boom whereby pivotal movement of said receptacle and said supporting member may be restrained while the receptacle is free to pivot about the axis parallel to the boom.

RUDOLPH F. LINDOW.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,230,478 Ball et al Feb. 4, 1941 2,321,073 Farrell June 8, 1943 2,376,875 Honig May 29, 1945 2,457,604 Schiro Dec. 28, 1948 

